Advantage Quote by Steven Pinker
“Conventions are unstated agreements within a community to abide by a single way of doing things - not because there is any inherent advantage to the choice, but because there is an advantage to everyone making the same choice.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker, 2014
People follow shared conventions because uniformity creates collective benefit, not because the method is superior.
In simple terms: Conventions work for everyone’s benefit, not because they’re best.
Key Takeaway
Embrace useful norms, but question unnecessary ones.
Themes
social coordination
norms
collective benefit
decision making
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
observational
When to use this quote
- team projects
- software standards
- public policy
- organizational procedures
Key Concepts
game theory
social psychology
cultural evolution
Questions to Reflect On
- When does a convention hinder progress?
- How can we balance conformity with creativity?
A Different Perspective
Uniformity can stifle innovation and ignore better alternatives.
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
